“Sophia?”
Solid called her in a worried voice, perhaps sensing the tension in Sophia’s body as she held her. At that, Ronald, who had been looking at the ground with a pouty and displeased expression, looked up at Sophia.
Their eyes met in the air, Ronald’s innocent gaze locking with hers.
‘Sophia knew the bird would die from the smell.’
That sudden thought, something Ronald had said, hit Sophia hard. Her body shivered at the terrible possibility.
“Are you okay, Sophia?”
Solid was the first to notice something was wrong and pulled away to look at her face. Ronald’s gaze followed. Sophia instinctively knew she had to hide this completely.
‘Ronald must not find out something is wrong.’
If Ronald realized she smelled something bad from Solid, he would tell everyone about what happened that day.
It was cowardly, but in her confused state, that was her first thought. Sophia forced a faint smile onto her pale face.
“Sorry. I suddenly got really sad hearing Solid was leaving.”
“You silly girl. Are you really okay? Your face is so pale. Your hands are cold too.”
“I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment.”
“Sophia, come here.”
Then the duke reached out and wrapped his arm around Sophia’s shoulders. The moment she touched him, all the awful smells seemed to vanish like they were never there. Sophia leaned on his arm, staggering. Everything felt so confusing.
‘It’s horrible. It can’t be true.’
She shook her head, telling herself she must have been mistaken.
“Are you really okay?”
Solid approached again. This time, all Sophia could smell from her was a faint perfume. There was no trace of the bad smell. Sophia awkwardly nodded, and the duke answered on her behalf with a calm and reliable smile.
“Don’t worry, Lady Sandel. Leave her to me and go ahead before it gets too late. Even with knights escorting you, it’s not good for a pregnant woman to travel at night.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Solid glanced at Sophia with worried eyes but soon turned and took Ronald’s hand, heading toward the carriage. Sophia, the count and countess, the duke, and Felix stepped outside to watch until they safely boarded the carriage and it departed.
With a paper-white face, Sophia leaned against the duke, barely able to watch the carriage go. Then, she followed her family back into the drawing room. Not even her breathing came out properly.
“I can’t take this.”
Sophia suddenly stood up and finally spoke about an hour after Solid had left. The duke was still sitting nearby reading a book. The count, countess, and Felix had already gone upstairs. The duke looked up from his book and asked calmly.
“What is it?”
There was no real interest in his relaxed voice. But Sophia didn’t need his concern. Her heart was racing wildly, and her mind was in ruins.
She began pacing back and forth like a madwoman, muttering to herself.
“I was right. That smell. It means something bad will happen to Solid. Ju-just like the calf, Solid will die. Why did I let her go? I shouldn’t have hesitated… I was trying to protect my stupid pride!”
“What are you talking about?”
The duke frowned at Sophia’s panicked muttering. She shouted in frustration.
“I’m talking about the smell! Solid smelled like something rotten!”
The duke looked even more confused, staring at her with a puzzled expression.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t smell anything at all, Sophia.”
He was so calm it irritated her. Her fingers trembled with emotion as she snapped back.
“Of course you didn’t smell anything! Only I can smell it. It’s the smell of death! We need to stop the carriage right now. We can’t let her go like this. Something terrible will happen!”
Sophia shouted like a madwoman. The duke gave her a baffled look and stepped forward, trying to calm her down.
“Just calm down, Sophia.”
“How can I calm down? Solid might die! Don’t you believe me? Send someone right now—”
“Sophia.”
The duke called her gently.
“Explain to me first. What do you mean, smell of death?”
He pretended to listen, but Sophia could tell he wasn’t taking her seriously. Maybe he was doing his best not to laugh.
Damn it. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and grab his shoulders and shake him. But she knew acting like a lunatic would only make her lose credibility, so she forced her voice lower.
“You said it. Eating the poison gives the power to see the future. You were right. I can feel it. When I smell that stench, the creature dies. It’s happened again and again. I even tested it at the ranch. I was right. When I pointed out the smelly calf, the rancher said it was going to be slaughtered.”
“Oh dear.”
The duke sighed. Sophia wanted to punch him. He didn’t believe her. He thought she was crazy. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to bleed, then spoke in a firm voice.
“Fine. Don’t believe me. I’ll go get Solid myself. I don’t need your help. I’ll ride there on my own.”
She turned to leave the drawing room, but then a gust of wind slammed the door shut in front of her. She froze in surprise.
“…Sophia, calm down.”
The duke’s gentle voice came from behind. But Sophia sensed his annoyance beneath the relaxed tone. The patience of someone watching an ant struggle underfoot without stepping on it.
A chill crept up her spine.
“You don’t look well. Sit down and tell me everything. Solid left in a carriage. If you ride, you’ll catch up quickly. But I’m worried you’ll make a fatal mistake.”
That word stood out: “fatal mistake.”
Sophia suddenly remembered the moment she had strangled Solid in her dream last night.
The feeling of flesh under her hands. Solid’s body losing breath. The feel of her throat under her palm. Her red face.
Sophia’s body lost all strength.
The duke noticed her spirit fading and gently led her back to the sofa, like setting down a doll.
“Okay, Sophia. I’ll listen. Don’t rush things. I’ll help you. You trust me, right?”
He asked confidently, like he knew it would be impossible not to. Sophia swallowed hard and nodded. He was right. She had no choice but to trust him. She hadn’t taken the medicine and almost made a mistake. Everyone told her to trust him—Solid, her mother, even the duke himself.
‘Yes, that’s right. No need to rush. Solid’s in a carriage. If I ride fast, I can catch up.’
Even her rational mind whispered to trust the duke. Sophia took a deep breath and sank deeper into the sofa. She raised her hand and pushed back her messy hair.
“You’re right, Your Grace. I lost control. I’m sorry for acting so shamefully.”
The duke gave a short, trustworthy smile. When she turned her head, she saw his large, firm hand. That hand slowly reached out and held hers.
“Tell me again. When you smell the stench, the creature dies?”
Hearing those words in his smooth voice made them sound silly. Sophia replied weakly.
“Yes.”
“When did you smell it?”
“All the time. And sometimes when I walked in the garden. I saw insects die or birds snatch their prey.”
“But Sophia, I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of anyone gaining that kind of ability just from taking poison.”
“But…”
She stopped. Her face turned red from shame. The duke noticed her hesitation and quickly took advantage of it.
“And things like bugs dying or birds hunting—that’s normal, right?”
“But I’m sure, even at the ranch…”
“How do you know the rancher told the truth? Did you see the calf get slaughtered?”
“No…”
“Right. So it’s just a story. Maybe the rancher just agreed with you so he wouldn’t upset you. Have you been taking your medicine regularly? When was the last dose of the nose-numbing one?”
“About three hours ago…”
“Then it’s time to take it again. Do you have it?”
“Yes.”
With trembling hands, Sophia took out the medicine. In her confused mind, the duke’s voice was the only thing that made any sense.
